Jessie once told me that I needed a hobby, but apparently trapping was not it. Most of it was done during work hours, but there were some late nights in the shop, hunt shack, skinnin room, trap shed, it donned several names aka my sanctuary. Cell phone didn't work, kids weren't allowed in for fear they might touch something, Jessie didn't dare enter. I don't know if it was the smell of boiling skulls, sight of skinned animals hanging, smell, the mess of the fleshing beam, seeing me use her sewing needles and dental floss to sew hides, her hair brush grooming my furs, or just the smell. She complained of it most but when compared to just one of Zayn's diapers WOW! OR maybe it was the experimental taxidermy taking place in the basement, I forgot to mention. Imagine her surprise walking in the laundry room and finding a lion hide hanging out to dry, bleached skulls lined up on the shelves with the food, mountain man toothpick left on the washer (look it up, adult content a certain bone from a certain gender of animal) why you might ask started out as a joke the whole mountain man bit. I know I shouldn't lie to her, but finding her with it in hand inspecting so close, and asking what's this? A lie here might just be the difference between life and death, she figured it out later, and then later reminded me that she touched it, it was clean. Shayd's surprise came when the lion jumped out of his closet and chased him around the house, and after a week of him sleeping in our bed with all the lights on I was warned what would happen next time I pulled a stunt like that. My surprise came when I found a skunk in my trap, lucky for me I had a cold and couldn't smell much, not so lucky for me I went in the house. It took a week of my clothes hanging outside being sprayed with vinegar 3 times a day for the smell to go down. Took a month and 2 trips to the laundry mat before they were allowed back in the house, but not with me in them. And if you ever wonder what to do if you find a large, black, garbage bag in the bottom of the freezer DO NOT I repeat DO NOT open it, uh surprise number three. Now I'm the only on eating out of the freezer. But she survived or better yet I survived the season.
Total number trapped....
1 civet cat, porcupine, badger, beaver, possum
2 dogs, otters, mtn lions
3 cats, skunks
5 coyotes, bobcats
7 raccoons
60 muskrats
For a grand total of $1268.50 Yahoo new rifle. Oh wait diapers, groceries, bills, new car seat, birthday presents, Easter outfits....$1268
Being paid to trap... PRICELESS
But wait there is still hope for the rifle. With the county buying gopher tails and from the looks of it I'm sitting on a gold mine. So with over 2,000 acres and more than three dozen traps, moving them twice a day, "HONEY, I'm going to check my traps!"
They say picture is worth a thousand words. Well, I didn't get a picture so here is the thousand words!
1 comment:
This was a great post. Made me laugh. (and really feel for Jessie) Way to go on the trapping Keith.
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